The FA Cup | FA Cup Final History Online | Results & Scores Top 10 FA Cup Matches of All Time The FA Cup's Early Years... The voices of history gather and the appeal of history is imaginative. Imagination craves to behold the past. Consider all that is implicit in that single word 'past', the more so when its wings are folded around such an historic cavalcade of names as the amateurs of the Wanderers, Old Etonians, Royal Engineers and Oxford University, to be succeeded at the birth of professionalism by the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Preston North End, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and the rest. Now we stand in the purple dignity of their collective shadow and, applauding, turn back to that past so that we may 'roam' in a crowded mist and hear lost voices and see lost looks'. The Football Association 'Challenge Cup'. That is its proud title, but to the world it is known simply as 'The Cup'. How profound has been its influence on the world game. There is a charm about this great competition since it is the most democratic of contests.

The giants cannot disport themselves in their own world; they must be ready to face the dwarfs of lower spheres and very often they fall with a resounding crash. This is the intriguing David and Goliath character of the competition, here lies its fascination. It was C. W. Alcock, Secretary of the F.A. from 1870 to 1895 who launched the idea of the Cup. Educated at Harrow School, he had taken part there in the Cock House Competition, a system of House matches based on the knock-out principle. The F.A. Cup, indeed, was the adaptation on a national scale of school days so that in October 1871 fifteen teams formed an initial entry. History took a deep breath and prepared for the plunge. 1871: it is mid-Victorian England - the age of Gladstone and Disraeli, which saw the beginnings of social and industrial reform; the age of the horse and carriage; of the top-hat and cloth cap; of extravagant beards and mutton chop whiskers; of Dickens; which brought the curtailment of long working hours and, importantly, the unique social creation, the Saturday half-holiday.

It was this that did as much as anything to help popularise football with the community. The magic of the Cup, too - soon affectionately known as 'the little tin idol' - spread rapidly. By 1882, a mere decade after its start, the entries had grown from 15 to 84; by 1885, when professionalism was legalised, 130 clubs set out in search of the prize. The oak tree had begun to take shape from the acorn. The Cup Final has had three historic homes. First, it was the Kennington Oval from 1872 to 1892, with the exception of its second year. Since, initially, it was meant to be a challenge cup the winner of the previous season was exempt until the final with a choice of ground. The Wanderers, as holders, in 1873 chose Lillie Bridge for the climax, a site now occupied by railway sidings at West Brompton near to Stamford Bridge. After that year, however, the challenge round was abandoned and the holders, rightly, had to take their chance against the whole field.

In 1893 the scene changed to The Crystal Palace where, apart from five replays at the turn of the century, it stayed until 1914. After the first World War there followed three brief visits to Chelsea's Stamford Bridge before the remarkable birth of Wembley in 1923. And there it stayed until 2000 but with a difference. The whole rim of this world famous stadium, with its lush Cumberland turf, was enclosed with a roof as protection against the elements: once, at the start, the final was no all ticket affair which led to the initial 1923 invasion by a multitude estimated at 200,000 covering the pitch itself like a swarm of insects and holding up the kick-off for three quarters of an hour while His Majesty King George V stood patiently watching the remarkable scene from the royal box. Once upon a time, too, the teams used to emerge into the arena from the west end of the stadium, now they enter from the east underneath the giant electric scoreboard. Life moves on.

It may be of some interest to record that in 1876 the Druids became the first Welsh side to enter the Cup, an event which brought a distant echo in 1927 when Cardiff City became the first and only side ever to take the trophy out of England. It must be added, also, that during the formative years there came challengers from Scotland in the persons of Queen's Park - the Glasgow amateurs, Third Lanark, Rangers, Heart of Midlothian, Renton, Cowlairs and Partick Thistle, while Ireland sent Cliftonville from Belfast. In 1885, indeed, when Queen's Park, Glasgow, drew with Nottingham Forest at Derby in the semi-final round, the F.A. directed the replay to be held at the Merchiston Castle ground in Edinburgh - the only time a semi-final tie has been played out of England. Nottingham Forest , in fact, alone of all clubs hold the unique distinction of having played F.A. cup-ties in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The first major turning point of the years came in 1882 when the Old Etonians beat Blackburn Rovers in the final.

So delighted at the outcome was the Etonian captain, Hon. A. F. Kinnaird, of the red beard and long white trousers, soon to be an Earl and President of the Football Association, that he jumped for joy and celebrated the victory by standing on his head in front of the Oval Pavilion. But little did he know that was the end of the epoch. It was the last triumph of the true blue amateurs of the south as the curtain fell on a golden age. The following year the 'little tin idol' went north for the first time when the artisans of Blackburn Olympic beat the Etonian Establishment 1-0. What a home coming Olympic were given. Cheering crowds and brass bands marked the triumphal route as the team, with Warburton holding the Cup aloft, were driven through the city of Blackburn in a wagonette drawn by six horses. Somebody in the crowd shouted: "isn't that t'Coop? Why, its like a tea kettle"'. Warburton's reply was to the point: "Ey, lad. But it's very welcome to Lancashire. It'll ne'er go back to Lunnon". Nor did it.

On the night of September 11, 1895, the 'little tin idol' ceased to exist. Won by Aston Villa that season, it was stolen while on display in the shop window of William Shillcock, football and football boot manufacturer, of Newton Row, Birmingham. it was never found. The F.A. replaced it with an exact replica and so came into existence the second cup. However, the trophy to be seen gleaming in the Royal Box this afternoon is actually the third in the long history of the competition. Presented in 1911 by the F.A. and more handsome in design than its predecessors, it was the work of Messrs Fattorini and Sons, silversmiths of Bradford. By an odd coincidence the first to win it were Bradford City on the only occasion this Yorkshire town has been involved in a Cup Final. Events move in a mysterious way! Flicking through the pages of history it can be seen that the nineteenth century drew to a close with the midlands, east and west, showing its power.

Here were Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa (twice), County and Nottingham Forest collecting the prize, with West Bromwich Albion, Wolves again, and Derby County (twice) being runners-up between 1893 and 1899. That Wolves' victory of 1893 was their first success and to mark it there stands to this day in Wolverhampton a memorial. A speculative builder, purchasing the Dudley Road ground (the home of the club before its move to Molineux), built on the site several rows of houses and called them Fallowfield Terrace. Fallowfield was the stadium of the Manchester Athletic Club where the final was played temporarily, following the refusal of the Surrey County Cricket Club any more to permit football on the Kennington Oval Pitch. Surmounting the gate-posts of each house of that terrace - each one of which is named after a member of that Wolves' team - there stands a replica of the Cup in stone. The birth of the twentieth century brought something fresh.

The year 1901 saw Tottenham Hotspur at last bring back the Cup to the south for the first time in 20 years and they did so as members of the Southern League, a unique distinction which is unlikely ever to be equalled again. Beyond that, too, The Crystal Palace ground itself at Sydenham created a world record with a crowd of 110,820. Never before had such an attendance gathered for a match anywhere. Every available inch of space was filled on the great Notts banks and in the stands. Those less fortunate or more daring, left Mother Earth and took to the fringes of trees nesting in the branches like so many rooks. There was scarcely a solitary soul left in North London and Tottenham itself that day resembled Goldsmith's deserted village. One remarkable milestone on the long and winding road of events was the dramatic experiences of Newcastle United at The Crystal Palace. Between 1905 and 1911 they reached the final five times, plus one semi-final, in seven seasons. During that spell, too, they became League champions on three occasions. The classiest team in the land, the Crystal Palace put a jinx on them.

They never lifted the cup there once, though in 1910 they did succeed at last against Barnsley but in a replay at Everton after a 1-1 draw at The Palace. Curiously, however, Wembley itself put the record straight. The scales were balanced when the song of the Blaydon Races swept the trophy to the north-east five times as Newcastle triumphed in 1924, '32, '51, '52 and '55. In 1914 a new mark was made when King George V visited Crystal Palace to become the first reigning monarch to attend the Cup Final. Liverpool played Burnley and as a gesture to the County Palatine the King wore a red rose in his button hole. A special high water mark came in 1913 when Aston Villa beat Sunderland 1-0. It was their fifth victory in the competition, equalling the record five wins in the nineteenth century of the Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. Also it was the only occasion so far that the sides standing first and second in the League have contested the final. Sunderland , in fact, won the League so it was a fair division of honours.

The crowd, too, provided a new world record of 120,081. The year 1923 saw the dramatic birth of Wembley. With invading hordes slowly pushed back to form a human Bolton Wanderers beat West Ham United. There might have been a panic, but there was not. The first Wembley final, indeed, came to the very brink of a disaster, only British humour and a merciful providence saving the day. The match itself seemed the least important part of an extravagant afternoon. At the end a fiery Irishman with utter astonishment, remarked: "To fink that not a pistol went off." Most memorable of any climax so far played at Wembley stand the 'Matthews final' of 1953. That was surely the master's finest hour as Blackpool pulled back in the closing 20 minutes from 1-3 down to win 4-3 in the dying seconds. At the end Matthews was chaired with his captain Harry Johnston - a unique honour and as each held the cup aloft to a cheering populace the sun glinted and danced on the silver baubles.

Watching and playing football games is now the chosen past time of many countries both in reality and with simulation based games like Fifa . Today the apotheosis of the British game is the Cup Final , it is a day of carnival when a whole nation is joined as one. This is the golden coin that was thrown into the pond of 1871. A Cup tie fought to the death may be prolonged almost to eternity, but not quite. One of the two must go at last. There must inevitably be tragedy and if this is a truism it is none the less tragic. There may be much known in defeat, but defeat it is and one day in springtime only one winner remains. There lies it's magic. Take a look at the Wembley National Stadium for more visuals and information on this fantastic venue where the FA Cup Final is held every year. Our Thanks to Getty Images We personally thank Getty Images for allowing us to embed some of their fantastic FA Cup photos into our match reports, they really do help bring back vivid and exciting memories to fans of both teams in each cup final. © FA Cup Finals. The history of the fa cup.

All the queen's horses: A monarch's passion - CNN.com All the queen's horses: A monarch's passion By Paul Gittings, CNN Updated 12:57 PM ET, Fri January 17, 2014 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Photos: All the Queen's horses Royal winner – Queen Elizabeth II is all smiles after receiving the Gold Cup following her horse Estimate's triumph at Royal Ascot. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses First teddy? – The latest addition to the British royal family, Prince George of Cambridge, was gifted a teddy dressed in the queen's silks, by a leading horse racing organization. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Golden glow – Britain's monarch shares a private moment with her connections and jockey Ryan Moore after the historic victory in June 2013. Her only daughter Princess Anne, who represented Britain at the 1976 Olympics in equestrian, is to her left.

Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Victory charge – Estimate's Gold Cup win was the first for a British monarch in the race's 207-year history. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Royal visitors – Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall attend the Melbourne Cup -- Australia's most famous race -- in 2012. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Jumping heir – Also a keen horseman, Charles is pictured here taking part in a steeplechase event in 1990. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Racing institution – The late Queen Mother pats one of her winning horses Bella Macrae after a race at Sandown Park in 2001. She was 100 years of age and still actively involved in the sport before her passing the following year.

Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses National mystery – In 1956, the Queen Mother's horse Devon Loch famously fell while leading the prestigious Grand National steeplechase, unseating jockey Dick Francis just yards from victory. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Family gathering – Here Queen Elizabeth is flanked by her mother and her late sister Princess Margaret (right) at the Epsom Derby in 1955. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Royal winner – Britain's royals have strong links to racing. A horse owned by King George V is escorted home after winning the Steward's Cup at Royal Ascot in 1911. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses French connection – Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh enjoy the racing at Longchamps in Paris in 1972. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Elusive Derby – More recently, they are seen here at the Epsom Derby.

It is the one English Classic the Queen has failed to win as an owner. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Racing business – Queen Elizabeth II with her racing manager John Warren (left) and trainer Roger Charlton at Newbury racecourse in April 2013. Her horse Sign Manual was among the winners at the meeting. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Royal point – The Queen's latest daughter-in-law -- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -- has also joined in the family passion. She is seen here at the Cheltenham Festival steeplechase meeting in March 2013. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: All the Queen's horses Royal addition – The royal family's love of horses is likely to be passed on to the latest addition -- baby Prince George, who was presented to the world by his proud parents William and Catherine in July.

Hide Caption 86 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth II - Diamond Jubilee: Queen Elizabeth II of England - TIME 86 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth II By Anoosh ChakelianWednesday, May 23, 2012 Sean Dempsey / Reuters 1. She speaks fluent French and often uses the language for audiences and state visits. She does not require an interpreter. 2. The Queen has received over 3.5 million items of correspondence during her reign. 3. Since 1952, she has conferred over 404,500 honors and awards. 4. Elizabeth has personally held 610 investitures. An investiture is the ceremony in which an honor is bestowed on someone for their good services; the recognitions are published twice a year, in the Queen's Birthday Honors and New Year's Honors lists. 5. Queen Elizabeth II is Britain's 40th monarch since William the Conqueror was crowned. (Get TIME's new book The Royal Family: The House of Windsor, Past, Present and Future) 6. In 2002, at 76, Elizabeth became the oldest monarch to celebrate a Golden Jubilee.

The youngest was James I (James VI of Scotland), at age 51. 7. About 1.5 million people have attended garden parties at Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland since Elizabeth has been on the throne. 8. Over the course of her reign, she has given regular Tuesday-evening audiences to 12 British Prime Ministers: Winston Churchill, 195155; Sir Anthony Eden, 195557; Harold Macmillan, 195763; Sir Alec Douglas-Home, 196364; Harold Wilson, 196470 and 197476; Edward Heath, 197074; James Callaghan, 197679; Margaret Thatcher, 197990; John Major, 199097; Tony Blair, 19972007; Gordon Brown, 20072010; and David Cameron, 2010-present. 9.

There have been 12 U.S. Presidents during her reign. 10. Tony Blair is the first Prime Minister to have been born during her reign. He was born in early May 1953, a month before her coronation. 11. The Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, introduced small, informal luncheon parties at Buckingham Palace to meet distinguished people from all professions, trades and vocations. The first was held on May 11, 1956, and the tradition continues to this day. There are usually six to eight guests and two members of the royal household in attendance. 12. Elizabeth is patron of more than 600 charities and organizations. 13. In the past 60 years, the Queen has undertaken 261 official overseas visits, including 96 state visits, to 116 different countries. 14. In 2005, she claimed ownership of 88 cygnets (young swans) on the River Thames. They are looked after by a swan marker. The first royal swan keeper was appointed around the 12th century. 15.

Technically, the Queen still owns the sturgeons, whales and dolphins in the waters around the U.K. A statute from 1324, during the reign of King Edward II, states, "Also the King shall have ... whales and sturgeons taken in the sea or elsewhere within the realm." This statute is still valid today, and sturgeons, porpoises, whales and dolphins are recognized as "fishes royal": when they are captured within 3 miles (about 5 km) of U.K. shores or wash ashore, they may be claimed on behalf of the Crown. Generally, when brought into port, a sturgeon is sold in the usual way, and the purchaser, as a gesture of loyalty, requests the honor of its being accepted by Elizabeth. (PHOTOS: Extraordinary Images of the Queen from the National Portrait Gallery) 16. In the summer of 2005, she opened the first children's trail in the Buckingham Palace garden for its seasonal opening. 17. The Queen joined Facebook in November 2010, with a page called the British Monarchy, which features royal news, photos, videos and speeches.

However, it is not possible to poke the royal family. She joined Twitter in July 2009, with teams at Buckingham Palace tweeting daily updates. None of the royals themselves tweet. The page follows only one other Twitter account: Clarence House, the royal home of the Prince of Wales. 18. To mark the 50th anniversary of the Queen's first televised festive address, a YouTube channel for the royal family, called the Royal Channel, was launched in December 2007. At the time, the palace hoped it would make her annual speech "more accessible to younger people and those in other countries." 19. Elizabeth was the first British monarch to celebrate her diamond wedding anniversary. 20. The Queen is the only person in Britain who can drive without a license or number plate on her state car. 21. Many of Elizabeth's official tours were undertaken on the royal yacht Britannia. It was launched by the Queen on April 16, 1953, and was commissioned for service on Jan. 7, 1954. It was decommissioned in December 1997.

During that time, Britannia traveled more than 1 million miles (1.6 million km) on royal and official duties. 22. Britannia was first used by Elizabeth when she embarked from Tobruk, Libya, with the Duke of Edinburgh on May 1, 1954, for the final stage of their Commonwealth tour returning to the Pool of London. The last time Elizabeth was onboard for an official visit was on Aug. 9, 1997, for a visit to Arran, Scotland. 23. Elizabeth has visited Australia 16 times, Canada 22 times, Jamaica six times and New Zealand 10 times. 24. Since her accession to the throne in 1952, she has visited Edinburgh nearly every year, taking up residence in the Palace of Holyroodhouse during Holyrood Week, when the Queen and her husband undertake a variety of engagements in Scotland to celebrate the country's heritage. 25. During her reign, the Queen has received many unusual gifts, including a variety of live animals. The more unusual ones have been placed in the care of the London Zoo  among them jaguars and sloths from Brazil and two black beavers from Canada.

There have also been gifts of pineapples, eggs, a box of snail shells, a grove of maple trees and 15 lb. (7 kg) of prawns. 26. Elizabeth has sent more than 175,000 telegrams to centenarians in the U.K. and the Commonwealth. 27. She has sent more than 540,000 telegrams to couples in the U.K. and the Commonwealth celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary. 28. Her real birthday is April 21, but it is celebrated officially in June. 29. She has attended 35 Royal Variety Performances. 30. In an average year, the Queen hosts more than 50,000 people at banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties at Buckingham Palace. 31. There have been six Roman Catholic Popes during the Queen's reign (Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI). 32. She has launched 23 ships in her lifetime. The first was the H.M.S. Vanguard, which she launched as Princess Elizabeth on Nov.

30, 1944, in Clydebank, Scotland. Her first launch as Queen was of the Britannia, also from Clydebank. 33. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have sent over 37,500 Christmas cards during her reign. 34. She has given out approximately 90,000 Christmas puddings to staff, continuing the custom of King George V and King George VI. In addition, the Queen gives her entire staff gifts at Christmastime. 35. Every year she sends Christmas trees to Westminster Abbey, Wellington Barracks, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, Crathie Kirk and local schools and churches in the Sandringham area of England. (PHOTOS: Highlights of Queen Elizabeth's 60 Years on the Throne) 36. Elizabeth learned to drive in 1945, when she joined the women's branch of the British army. Both she and Winston Churchill's daughter were members of the group, which was called the Auxiliary Territorial Service. 37.

She was a Girl Guide (1937), a Scouting movement for girls and a Sea Ranger (1943), a section of the Girl Guides focused on sailing. 38. As Princess Elizabeth, she traveled in the London Underground subway system for the first time in May 1939, accompanied by her governess Marion Crawford and her sister Princess Margaret. 39. The Queen is a keen photographer and enjoys taking pictures of her family. The Duke of York is also a photography buff and has taken a number of photographs of Elizabeth, including an official photograph for Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee in 2002. 40. The Queen was born in a private home at 17 Bruton St., London, on April 21, 1926. (The house was owned by the Queen's first cousins.) She was baptized on May 29, 1926, in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace and was confirmed on March 28, 1942, in the private chapel at Windsor Castle. 41.

With the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960, Elizabeth became the first reigning sovereign to have a child since Queen Victoria, who had her youngest child, Princess Beatrice, in 1857. 42. Elizabeth has 30 godchildren. 43. The first soccer match the Queen attended was the 1953 FA Cup final. 44. She has taken the royal salute from her Household Cavalry  mounted troops known as horse guards  in every Trooping the Color ceremony since the start of her reign, with the exception of 1955, when a national rail strike forced the cancellation of the parade. Trooping the Color is a ceremony performed by British and Commonwealth regiments to celebrate the Queen's official birthday. 45. The Queen has sat for 129 official portraits during her reign, two of which were with the Duke of Edinburgh. The most recent portrait was by Isobel Peachey and was unveiled in September 2010. Elizabeth was just 7 years old when she sat for her first portrait in 1933, which was commissioned by her mother and painted by the Hungarian artist Philip Alexius de Laszlo. 46.

In 2003, she sat for her first and only hologram portrait, which is made up of more than 10,000 images of the Queen layered over one another, giving it a 3-D effect. 47. The first royal walkabout took place during the Queen's visit with Prince Philip to Australia and New Zealand in 1970. The practice was introduced to allow them to meet a greater number of people, not just officials and dignitaries. 48. In 1969, the first television film about the family life of the royals was made; it was shown on the eve of the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales. 49. An important innovation during her reign was the opening in 1962 of a new gallery at Buckingham Palace to display items from the royal collection. The brainchild of the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen's Gallery occupied the palace's bomb-damaged private chapel. It was the first time that parts of the palace had been opened to the general public. 50. The only time the Queen has had to interrupt an overseas tour was in 1974, during a tour of Australia and Indonesia.

She was called back from Australia when a general election was announced suddenly. The Duke of Edinburgh continued the program in Australia, and Elizabeth rejoined the tour in Indonesia. 51. She has opened Parliament every year except 1959 and 1963, when she was expecting her children Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, respectively. 52. She went on her first state visit as Princess Elizabeth to South Africa with her mother and father, then King and Queen, from February to May 1947. The tour included Zimbabwe, Bechuanaland, Swaziland and Basutoland (now Lesotho). The Princess celebrated her 21st birthday in Cape Town. Her first state visit as Queen was to Kenya: her father King George VI died, and she acceded the throne during the tour, which had to be abandoned. 53. Her first Commonwealth tour began on Nov. 24, 1953, and included visits to Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, the Cocos Islands, Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, Libya, Malta and Gibraltar.

The total distance covered was 43,618 miles (70,196 km). 54. In 1986, the Queen became the first British monarch to visit China. 55. She has made a Christmas broadcast to the Commonwealth every year of her reign except 1969, when a repeat of the film Royal Family was shown and a written message from the Queen issued. In 1953, she made her first Christmas broadcast from overseas, broadcasting live from New Zealand. Her first televised broadcast was in 1957, made live. Her first prerecorded broadcast took place in 1960, allowing transmission around the world. 56. She sent a message of congratulations to Apollo 11 astronauts for the first moon landing on July 21, 1969. The message was microfilmed and deposited on the moon in a metal container. 57.

The Queen has met at Buckingham Palace the first man in space, Russian major Yuri Gagarin; the first woman in space, Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova; and the first men on the moon, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, as well as their Apollo 11 colleague Michael Collins. 58. She sent her first e-mail in 1976, from a British army base. 59. There have been six Archbishops of Canterbury during her reign: Geoffrey Fisher, Michael Ramsey, Donald Coggan, Robert Runcie, George Carey and Rowan Williams. 60. History was made in 1982 when Pope John Paul II visited Britain; he was the first Pope to do so in 450 years. Elizabeth, titular head of the Church of England, received him at Buckingham Palace. 61. She visited a mosque in the U.K. for the first time in July 2002, in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. f 62.

The Queen has attended 56 royal Maundy services (religious services on the day preceding Good Friday to honor the service of elderly people in their communities and the church) in 43 cathedrals during her reign. A total of 6,710 people have received Maundy money, coins minted especially for the occasion, in recognition of their service. Elizabeth has missed only four services  two for official tours and two for the births of Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. 63. Elizabeth has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign, starting with Susan, who was a present for her 18th birthday in 1944. A good proportion of these have been direct descendants from Susan. Elizabeth currently has five corgis: Emma, Linnet, Monty, Holly and Willow. 64. Elizabeth introduced a new breed of dog known as the dorgi when one of her corgis was mated with a dachshund named Pipkin that belonged to Princess Margaret. Elizabeth currently has four dorgis: Cider, Berry, Candy and Vulcan.

As well as corgis and dorgis, the Queen also breeds and trains Labradors and cocker spaniels at Sandringham House. A special Sandringham strain of black Labrador was founded in 1911. 65. She takes a keen interest in horses and racing. Her first pony, a Shetland called Peggy, was given to her by her grandfather King George V when she was 4 years old. Elizabeth continues to ride at Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor. The Queen also takes interest in horse breeding. Horses bred at the royal studs over the past 200 years have won virtually every major race in Britain. Elizabeth has about 25 horses in training each season. 66. Her racing colors consist of a purple body with gold braiding, scarlet sleeves and a black velvet cap with gold fringe. 67. She continues the royals' long association with racing pigeons, which began in 1886 when King Leopold II of Belgium made a gift of racing pigeons to the British royal family.

In 1990, one of Elizabeth's birds took part in the Pau race, coming first in the Section 5th Open of the important international pigeon race, and was subsequently named Sandringham Lightning. In recognition of her interest in the sport, the Queen was named a patron of a number of racing societies, including the Royal Pigeon Racing Association. 68. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were married on Nov. 20, 1947, in Westminster Abbey. Her wedding dress was designed by Sir Norman Hartnell and was woven at Winterthur Silks Limited, Dunfermline, in the Canmore factory, with silk that had come from Chinese silkworms at Lullingstone Castle. 69. Her dressmakers over the years have included Sir Hardy Amies, Sir Norman Hartnell, Karl-Ludwig Couture and Maureen Rose. Her milliners have been Frederick Fox, Philip Somerville and Marie O'Regan. 70. Her wedding ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold that came from the Clogau St. David's mine near Dolgellau.

Her official wedding cake was made by McVitie and Price Ltd., using ingredients given as a wedding gift by Australian Girl Guides. 71. The Queen has an extensive collection of jewelry, most of which are crown jewels, some inherited and some gifts, including the largest pink diamond in the world. Some of her well-known pieces include a brooch of diamonds forming a spray of wattle that was presented by the Australian government in 1954 and a necklace of large square-cut aquamarines and diamonds with earrings, given as a gift in her coronation year by the ambassador of Brazil, which Elizabeth wore on her French state visit in 2004. 72. Elizabeth has laid a wreath at the Cenotaph  Britain's iconic war memorial that commemorates the dead in both world wars  on Remembrance Sunday every year of her reign, except in 1959, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1983 and 1999, when she was either pregnant or overseas on an official visit. 73.

She has visited the sets of a number of popular British soap operas, including Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale. 74. In 1997, Buckingham Palace's first official website was launched. 75. In 1998, Elizabeth introduced theme days to promote and celebrate aspects of British culture. The first theme day was City Day, focusing on financial institutions. Other themes have included Publishing, Broadcasting, Tourism, Emergency Services, Maritime, Music, Young Achievers, British Design and Pioneers. 76. In June 2002, to celebrate her Golden Jubilee, the Queen hosted the first public concerts in the garden of Buckingham Palace. She attended both the classical and pop concerts. The Party at the Palace show was one of the most-watched pop concerts in history, attracting about 200 million viewers from all over the world. 77. She is the first member of the royal family to be awarded a gold disc from the recording industry: 100,000 copies of the Party at the Palace CD, produced by EMI, were sold within its first week of release. 78.

She hosted Buckingham Palace's first women-only event, "Women of Achievement," in March 2004. 79. In November 2004, Elizabeth invited the cast of Les Misérables in the West End to perform for then French President Jacques Chirac at Windsor Castle. It was the first time the cast of a West End musical had performed at a royal residence. 80. As a young girl, Elizabeth acted in a number of pantomimes during World War II, including playing Prince Florizel in Cinderella in 1941. The productions took place every year in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle. 81. She once demoted a footman for giving her corgis whiskey. 82. She is supposedly the only British monarch in history properly trained to change a spark plug, as she undertook a car-maintenance course during World War II. 83. She collected clothing coupons for her wedding dress, true to the spirit of postwar austerity. 84. The Queen issued a writ against the Sun newspaper after it published the full text of her 1992 broadcast two days before its transmission. She later accepted an apology and a £200,000 donation to charity.

85. Only three other world heads of state have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee during Elizabeth's reign: King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand celebrated 60 years on the throne in 2006; the former Sultan of Johor (now part of Malaysia) celebrated his in 1955; and Emperor Hirohito of Japan celebrated his in 1986. 86. The last and only other British monarch to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee was Queen Victoria in 1897, at the age of 77. At 86, Queen Elizabeth will be the oldest monarch to celebrate this occasion. For more on the royal family, visit:

Question: Who was the first British monarch to attend an F.A. Cup Final
Answer: King George V